OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Bubba Wallace is taking heat for a dangerous track incident with fellow race car driver Kyle Larson at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon that risked serious injury or death.
After Larson tapped Wallace’s car and edged it into the wall while attempting a three-wide pass during Stage 2 of the South Point 400, Wallace responded by tracking down Larson’s car and slamming into the rear of his car, which caused both drivers cars to spin out.
In Wallace’s statement released on Monday night, he claimed that he intends “to learn from this,” but does not explicitly apologize to Larson:
I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday following the on-track incident with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 car.
My behavior does not align with the core values that are shared by 23XI Racing and our partners, who have played a crucial role in my incredible journey to the top of this great sport.
I want to apologize to NASCAR and the fans, along with Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota for putting them in a situation in the Playoffs that they do not deserve.
I compete with immense passion, and with passion at times comes frustration. Upon reflecting, I should have represented our partners and core team values better than I did by letting my frustrations follow me outside of the car. You live and learn, and I intend to learn from this.
As reported by the Daily Wire, “Wallace initially did not take any responsibility for his actions during a post-crash NBC interview and claimed that he did not intentionally slam into Larson’s car, only saying that his ‘steering was gone’ and that Larson ‘just so happened to be there’.”
“It was just a piss poor move on his execution,” Wallace said.
Bubba Wallace then blamed Larson for the incident.
“He knows,” Wallace said. “He knows that what he did was wrong. He wanted to question what I was doing. He never cleared me.”
Bubba Wallace was blasted on social media over his fake apology.
“You tried murdering a driver cuz you couldn’t keep up the pace,” commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted.
“You’re a race-hoaxing clown,” Sean Davis, CEO of The Federalist, tweeted.
“You almost killed another driver on the track,” commentator Jack Posobiec tweeted.
“This dude tried to kill another driver on the track and then got out and tried to fight him,” former college football player T.J. Moe tweeted. “The woke media cares more about the slip knot hoax he decided was a noose (that the FBI actually investigated!) than the murder this dude tried to commit on the race track. Unsurprising.”
“Why is this loser still allowed to race in @NASCAR?” commentator John Cardillo tweeted. “He has now fabricated a hate crime and physically attacked a fellow driver.”
“Did you every apologize for when you faked a hate crime?” former MMA fighter Jake Shields tweeted. “Any race car driver knows what a garage door pulley is.”
Wallace lost credibility with many NASCAR fans over a 2020 incident that involved an alleged “noose” that turned out to be a garage rope.
The FBI also found that no one could have known in advance which garage Wallace would be assigned to. Therefore, a “hate crime” was impossible.
“On Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway,” the FBI found. “After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed.”
“The FBI learned that garage number 4, where the noose was found, was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week,” the agency learned. “The investigation also revealed evidence, including authentic video confirmed by NASCAR, that the noose found in garage number 4 was in that garage as early as October 2019. Although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.”
“The decision not to pursue federal charges is proper after reviewing all available facts and all applicable federal laws,” the FBI added. “We offer our thanks to NASCAR, Mr. Wallace, and everyone who cooperated with this investigation.”
